Easily Unlock Motorola Moto E Bootloader

Motorola just released its Moto E Android based smartphone, which by the way is an interesting phone if not for its specs or features at least for its upcoming Android 4.4.3 KitKat update. So, the Moto E will be among the first mid range Android devices to receive the official Android 4.4.3 firmware; but until then, its users will probably want to use their handset on full power. Well, in order to do so, first they will have to unlock the Moto E bootloader.

In that matter I have detailed this step by step guide which will easily take you through the unlocking procedure. By reading and following the guidelines from this tutorial you will be able to learn more about the bootloader term and of course you will be able to learn how to safely unlock the bootloader of your Motorola Moto E. Completing this operation is easy and somehow official as Motorola is providing a support page that can be used for unlocking the bootloader of your device, but we will talk more about this during the steps from below.

The first thing you should know is that when you first buy a new Android smartphone it will be delivered with a locked bootloader. This is something like a carrier and default restriction as with a locked system you won’t be able to perform complex and custom operations like gaining root access, installing a custom recovery image, flashing a custom ROM firmware, removing bloatware, improving the battery life, bumping the speeds, overclocking the CPU and so on. Thus, as you can see, unlocking the bootloader of your Moto E must be performed manually and by using a compatible step by step guide.

The bootloader represents a system pre-installed on your device. This start-up program is loading the OS and some in built programs from the ROM memory into the RAM memory each time you reboot or power on your Moto E. If you want you can see your phone’s bootloader similar with the startup program that is featured on your computer, laptop, tablet or desktop. Now, with a locked bootloader you won’t be able to change anything on your smartphone, which means that you need to unlock it especially if you are an advanced Android user and if you want to improve the performances of your mid range Moto E.

The advantages that come along with an unlocked Android device are numerous, though you still have to be worried about one aspect. This operation isn’t official (even though Motorola will help you in achieving the same) so by completing the same you will lose your Moto E warranty. So, if you somehow mess things up (it can happen only if you apply things without consulting the steps from this step by step guide) you can end up in damaging your phone’s OS, software or even the internal system, so be careful. Anyway, the warranty can be afterwards restored if you choose to relock the bootloader – there are many procedures that can be applied in that matter.

Also, before completing this procedure it is indicated to backup your data, as everything that’s saved on the internal storage memory of your phone might get corrupted while you will try to unlock the bootloader of your Motorola Moto E. Therefore, before doing anything else backup (by using compatible apps from Google Play) everything that’s important to you including contacts list, text messages, market apps and personal data, info and accounts.

Moreover, since this is a manually unlock process, in order to complete the same you will have to use a computer. On the computer you will be using first of all deactivate – only temporarily – the antivirus and antimalware protection (the security protection might interfere with our work). Then, on your Moto E go to “menu – settings – developer options” and enable the USB debugging option because a connection between your smartphone and you PC will have to be established. Also, your phone must be charged, or the battery power should indicate more than 60% power left – the phone might get bricked in case it gets turned off in the middle of the unlocking operation.

This step by step guide is compatible only with the Motorola Moto E and with no other Android based smartphone or tablet. So, use the steps from below for unlocking the bootloader of your phone, only if you own the mentioned device, or else you can end up in bricking your Android handset.

How to Easily Unlock Motorola Moto E Bootloader

Enter your Moto E in fastboot mode: just power off your device (press power button once and select “power off” or keep pressing the power button for about 15 seconds) and then press power and volume down keys at the same time until fastboot mode is being displayed.

Connect your Moto E with your computer by plugging in the USB cable.

On your computer go to the Android SDK folder and from there open a command prompt window.

In the cmd window type the following command: “$ fastboot oem get_unlock_data”.

Now on your computer a string of values will be displayed – from cmd copy the string without any spaces in between (you should get something similar with: “0A40040192024205#4C4D355631323030373731363031303332323239#BD008A672BA4746C2CE02328A2AC0C39F951A3E5#1F532800020000000000000000000000”.

Up next just go to Motorola’s official web page (here) and follow the on-page prompts in order to end the unlocking procedure – don’t worry from this point the process can be easily performed (the unlock code will be send to you on your email address.

So, that’s how you can anytime unlock the Motorola Moto E bootloader. If you can’t manage to complete this procedure, don’t hesitate and use the comments section from below in order to point out your problems. We will then assist you as soon as possible and we will also update this tutorial accordingly. Now, stay close and check our following guides as we will show you how to root your Moto E, how to install a custom recovery image on your phone and also how to update it with official and custom ROMs.

When I try and unlock my Moto E bootloader on the Motorola site, I get the message, “Your device does not qualify for bootloader unlocking”. Why? I see video after video on Youtube successfully doing it. I am so frustrated.

K

you might have typed the string of values incorrectly

Michael Glover

I wish that were it. I cut and pasted them from the cmd prompt. I made sure that it was on one line as well, per youtube videos I have watched.

Shieldmatron

Motorola can’t/won’t unlock phones that are branded (ie, sold through StraightTalk, Verizon, ATT, etc.) There might be a way to unlock a branded Moto E, but I haven’t found one yet 🙁

Jaspal Singh

there are spaces in the code, please remove spaces and it will work.

Chad Z Chad

I hope that’s not the case, but I think it might be. I so miss my Google Nexus.

Jojo daboss

Yea i can vouch, ive been racking my brain for months in an attempt to unlock the bootloader of this XT830C ive got. Went as far getting the Code, but when I type it into the website it tells me that I’m not eligible. Its pretty damn aggravating, surely to god there is some kind of way to get the bootloader unlocked on this pos. Ive got service thru net10, but ive rooted several phones thru them in the past, so idk. the phone is worthless to me if it cant be rooted.

When I try and unlock my Moto E bootloader on the Motorola site, I get the message, “Your device does not qualify for bootloader unlocking”. Why?

joel

Try logging out of the Moto id & try using google id in a fresh page .

Also copy the key in a notepad and remove all spaces before you use it in the moto site. Sure you will get the unlock button…It too faced similar issue.

Saber760

me to i get this error every time does not qualify bull crap and it sucks

Faye Jackson

hi

sam eve

Do we have to download android studio which comes on clicking the sdk for windows

Syed Sameer

i cannot get cmd promt through android sdk

Terry Melvin

Get your phone into “fastboot” mode, connect it to the USB of your computer, then on your computer go to the Android/sdk/platform-tools folder. In there you will find the adb application. Right click that and “run as administrator” That will start the command prompt you need.

Dinesh G S

Hello sir, I saw your post. I had the same problem of getting cmd prompt. When I click on adb application for run as administrator, a few data comes in cmd prompt and it closes automatically within 2 secs. Then how can I copy the string. Any idea…Thanks..

Terry Melvin

Make sure the phone’s drivers are installed on your PC first.

Dinesh G S

SIR,drivers are installed on my PC, no any drivers missing shown in Device manager

Terry Melvin

I am sorry, other than making sure your phone is in fast boot mode and its connected to the PC, I don’t know then.

Dinesh G S

Thanks sir

Terry Melvin

If you do find out how, please let me know. Those procedures work on most Android phones. Thanks.

Dinesh G S

surely..

Henrique Madson

You can do it like this:

Go to the adb.exe folder in the android skd;

Hold SHIFT and right click the directory like in the picture (not in the file) and click to open a command prompt;

Make sure you have you phone connect and in debug mode;

Write: adb shell and press Enter;

I think that solves… just continue with the tutorial

Dinesh G S

Yaaa! it really worked. Thank u very much.

Dinesh G S

Yeh! 2 things i needed to do. As Henrique told I needed to turn on the USB debugging on and the other on an empty space in that folder hold Shift and right click. Thanks anyway.

Syed Sameer

plz anybody help me

Dinesh G S

Hello anybody please help. I had the problem of getting cmd prompt. When I click on adb application for run as administrator, a few data comes in cmd prompt and it closes automatically within 2 secs. Then how can I copy the string. Any idea…Thanks..

Matze

This description is very very very BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No one understands it. Even experienced Users can maybe solve this.

For WIndows User: Go the directory where the SDK has been installed. Mostly under the user folder -> Appdata -> Local -> Android -> Sdk -> platform-tools !!!

There you can find “fastboot”. THE COMMAND “$” is a mistake in the description above and really frustrating!!! “$” is a command that is only used on MAC computers.

For Windows Users: go to start, type in searchfield “cmd” … start cmd. go to the directory with the command “cd exampledirectorty” and so on until you reached the directory. the type “fastboot oem get_unlock_data”. TATAAAAA!!!! So easy if they would have explained it right. You have to use CMD. There is no way to start a program or something else. The cmd terminal is using old DOS. For DOS you need to use the “cd” command (change directory. It is normally very easy to use.

Mariah

You’re a genius!!! I spent all week trying to do this! Thank you!

Chad Z Chad

Why are you using windows? The world runs on *nix.

Phoenix

Get out.

Rajat

my fastboot devices command is not wprking with the unique key

Dan Hutchins

In Motorola bootloader unlock page it tells me my bootloader can’t be unlocked but in the supported devices page it says that it is I enter the code without spaces but still get the same thing also tried on fresh page and still the same not sure why that is I spoke to customer service but they just gave me links that didn’t work anyone have a solution to this??

Kenneth Knoeber

No ‘request unlocking code’ button appears. Is it possible to do all this without Motorola’s site? I feel if I own the phone, and I do, I shouldn’t have to claok and dagger around the internet to root it.

Filipe

Got the same problem, says my device (Moto E XT1025) don’t qualify to unlocking bootloader. Do you know what should we do?

Sagar Swaroop

my moto e is updated in 5.1 official update
and now its not showing developer tool
what should i do

sarthak

my moto e was updated to 5.1 about three months ago from that point of time its been restarting at a rate of say 8 times in an hour i hv thought of a hard reset but when i booted to recovery there was that android guy lying as usual but there was written no command at the bottom nothing after that came so because of that i reset the phone through the settings but my efforts were in vain its still restarting although not at that earlier speed but now its like in 2hrs 1 restart till now i hv reset my phone for about 7 times but nothing is happening can anybody plz suggest me what to do i cant even install a custom rom as the recovery options doesn’t show up

p.praneeth

there is no network signals in my moto e phone

shamika dalvi

the motorola displays my device is not qualify for bootloadre unlocking what should i do

brew2@msn.com

If you don’t know how to access and use the CMD window, you probably should not be doing this.

Marco Flores

Is there any way to hard format the bootloader then flash a new one? I have a Moto E from stupid Cricket Wireless and they locked the bootloader that is specific to their carrier company. I think I found a program that can force format the bootloader. Someone online already did it but they couldn’t figure out how to flash a new one so their phone won’t boot at all. I know they say bootloaders are like a phones version of BIOS that are specific to the cpu and motherboard; but somehow I doubt that Cricket manufactured their own cpu and motherboard and installed it on Motorola’s already manufactured phone. There must be some way to flash factory Motorola’s bootloader on Cricket’s hijacked phone (Mental Note: Never buy from Cricket again).

Anthony Corbin

on the motorola site it says device is not qualify how do i do it manually without the site

alanna caldwell

READ THIS FIRST: If you are at step 7 in this process and enter the big long string on the motorola website and get a message that your device cannot be unlocked, PLEASE DOUBLE-CHECK to see that the string you entered does not have spaces. I too was one of you who despaired because I got the “cannot be unlocked” message…but I didn’t double-check the string. There were, in fact, spaces. Please remove the spaces and try again. It worked for me!

babi

i am not receiving any mail,what i do ,i am check all subfolders in the mail what i do…….?

saquib

My moto e mobile not succes unlock bootloader different problem

saquib

Mate please your contact number

rob

Worked fine but I couldnt get computer to recognize the device

I needed : “twrp-surnia-3.1.0-r1” from XDA
I used the AOSP rom with 7.1 Aroma Ggapps.
Big thanks to “Matze”